I know what you’re doing. You’re pouring over glossy magazines, slobbering over the photos, dog-earring the pages you want to return to again and again. It’s totally natural and totally understandable. It’s seed catalog season. Oh, those purple eggplant. The funky-looking kohlrabi. The rainbows of chard. Your list of lust-afters is filling up fast. I have one suggestion. Save room for watermelon. After all, the National Garden Bureau has declared 2013 to be the Year of the Watermelon in its edibles category.

First, what is this “Year Of” thing, anyway? Each year professional hort types select one edible, one flower, and one perennial to showcase for that year. Each plant is chosen because it’s a general favorite, it’s easy to grow, it’s versatile, and there are lots and lots of varieties of that plant to chose from.

I see the “Year Of” crops as an opportunity to try something new in the garden. And who knows? It might become a permanent fixture.

Back to watermelon. No one doesn’t like watermelon. You lug a watermelon to a July 4^th party and you’re a hero. You’ll be even more of a hero if you grow that sucker yourself, right? This year, I’m giving you that challenge.

The National Garden Bureau has a great piece about watermelon on its website. Give it a read. But let me tell you a few things that appeal to me about this popular melon.

You can take watermelon anywhere

From the large and heavy picnic-type oblong watermelons to the small, hand-sized round melons, there is a melon for every use—large-scale parties to dessert for a family of three.

Watermelon is colorful

The juicy flesh comes in a wide range of colors—white, yellow, peachy, pinky, bright cherry red. In fact, you could have quite a colorful fruit cocktail using watermelon alone.

They can be huge or small

Sure, the typical watermelon likes lots of space, but thanks to new breeding efforts, you don’t need an acre of land to grow a tasty watermelon. Try the smaller varieties such as Sugar Baby, with vines just 3.5 feet long, or the new Faerie variety with vines just 10 feet long.

If you DO have an acre of land, try the variety Congo, which gets to be 35-50 pounds.

They don’t need a lot of water

Thanks to deep roots, watermelons rarely need extra water or special treatment. Unless they are growing under a prolonged dry spell, of course.

You can pickle watermelon rinds

Have you ever had pickled watermelon rind? No? Then you haven’t had the best part of the melon! Put that on your to-do list this year.

The happiest fruit

Lastly—and maybe most importantly—there are no bad memories that have ever been associated with a watermelon. It’s quite possibly the happiest fruit ever. Ask any 80-year-old and she will certainly agree.

(Photo courtesy of National Garden Bureau)